Already Going Out?
by Godeyes Geller
Summary: What if Ron and Hermione had already got together before the end of book 6, but we just didn't know about it? This story imagines what could have happened when Dumbledore was talking to him about finding the Horcrux. Oneshot.


**Already going out?**

**AN:** Just a short shippy fic that imagines that Ron and Hermione are already going out at the end of the 6th book, and what could have happened in the time that Dumbledore was talking to Harry about going to find the Horcrux. The quotes at the beginning and end of this story are copied exactly from the book, except where I put Xs to make it a bit shorter. One-shot.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. JK Rowling and Warner Bros. do.

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**Quote from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (p503-504 English Version)**

"It's the way he writes. I just know the Prince was a bloke. I can just tell. This girl hasn't got anything to do with it. Where did you get this, anyway?"

"The library," said Hermione, predictably, "There's a whole collection of old _Prophets_ up there. Well, I'm going to find out more about Eileen Prince if I can."

"Enjoy yourself," said Harry irritably.

"I will," said Hermione. "And the first place I'll look," she shot at him as she reached the portrait hole, "is records of old Potions awards!"

Harry scowled after her for a moment, then continued his contemplation of the darkening sky.

XXX

Harry was shaken from these bitter reflections by the appearance at his side of Jimmy Peakes, who was holding a scroll of parchment.

"Thanks Jimmy … hey, it's from Dumbledore!" said Harry excitedly, unrolling the parchment and scanning it. "He want me to go to his office as quick as I can!"

They stared at each other.

"Blimey," whispered Ron, "You don't reckon … he hasn't found…?"

"Better go and see hadn't I?" said Harry, jumping to his feet.

**Ron's POV**

Ron watched as Harry hurried out of the portrait hole. It wasn't that he was jealous. That was a thing of the past; he'd grown up a lot since then. But he did feel a slight twinge of disappointment that Harry was going off with Dumbledore by himself to fight a tiny part of Voldemort. He'd always gone along with Harry before when this sort of thing had happened, but now he guessed he would have to leave Harry to fight him alone, Harry being a 'marked man' and all that.

The portrait door swung open and Hermione walked in.

"Well I couldn't find anything in the Potions Award-"

"Never mind that, Dum- Quick hide me, Lavender's coming!" Ron said, ducking behind Hermione.

"What is it about you and Lavender, you've split up and yet you still keep hiding from her and trying to avoid her," said Hermione, looking hurt.

"Well, I dunno I just-"

"Do you still love her or something? Is that why you're hiding, you're too embarrassed?"

"NO, why would I hide from her before we split up if I still loved her?"

"So why didn't you dump her? Why did you go out with her in the first place?"

"Look Hermione, I never loved her-"

"Well it didn't look like that to me when you were spending every night with your tongues down each others throats!"

"I didn't mean I never loved her, I mean, I did love her, no I didn't- I DON'T KNOW!"

"So why did you spend all your spare time snogging her face off?"

"You snogged Krum! And probably McLaggen!"

"Yes I did, and why would you care?"

"Because, because…"

"Go on! Spit it out!"

"Ididittomakeyoujealous," Ron mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Because of Krum,"

"Because of Krum? But that was years ago, how could that possibly make you go out with Lavender?"

"I know, it was a stupid thing to do."

"So, what you're saying is you never actually loved Lavender, but you went out with her because of Krum?"

"No, well, yes," said Ron, looking at the floor.

"Oh," Hermione said, finally catching on, "So you did all that, just, just to-"

"To get you back for what you did with Krum and to make you jealous, yes. And I know, it was stupid, you didn't care, I don't even know why I'm telling you this," he said, still talking to the rug on the floor.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well you went off and snogged McLaggen didn't you!" Ron said, looking up with a glare.

"I, I did that for the same reason."

"What? You mean-"

"I did it to get you back for what you were doing with Lavender and make you jealous."

"So you mean all this time we were going out with people, because we wanted to go out with each other?"

Hermione smiled slightly.

"Well in that case, Hermione, will you go out with me?"

Hermione's smile widened. "Of course I will."

Ron sat down on a sofa, weak-kneed. All this time, all this time they could have been going out with each other. What an idiot he was.

"What, I don't get though," said Ron when Hermione had sat down next to him, "is how you could bare to kiss _him_!"

"I – well if you really want to know, I imagined he was you."

Ron's eyes widened.

"Really? I did the same thing."

"Well I hope you never kiss me like you kissed her! I'd rather kiss a vacuum cleaner!"

"Thanks, I'll remember that," Ron said, looking slightly put out.

"Oh come here," she said, and lifted her face up to his.

Ron, gently lowered his lips, and tried very hard not to kiss her like he'd kissed Lavender.

They sat back, and Ron suddenly remembered what he'd originally been going to tell Hermione when Lavender distracted them.

"Harry got a message from Dumbledore. We think he's found a Horcrux," he said, spoiling the mood completely.

"Really? Is he going to go with him?"

"I don't know, but-"

Harry burst through the portrait door.

**Quote from HBP (p515)**

Ron and Hermione were sitting together in the common room when he came back.

"What does Dumbledore want?" Hermione said at once, "Harry, are you OK?" she added anxiously.

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And so on. Everything happened so quickly after that, that Ron and Hermione completely forgot about what had gone on and to tell Harry about it, which is why we don't know yet.

Just a thought. Not very likely, but there's a tiny possibility. Anyway, what did you think? Please R&R.


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